How Actress Emma Thompson Rewrites the Rules on Accepting Our Bodies and Chooses Not to Glorify Hollywood Beauty Standards

At the sheer age of 13 years old, 53% of girls say they are unhappy with their bodies. By the time girls reach 17, this percentage jumps to 78%. In a utopian universe, all of us would be happy about the house in which we live — our powerful bodies.

Actress Emma Thompson, who’s now in her sixties, needed decades to make peace with her own body. The way she carries herself and the way she undisputedly admits to having had quite a journey until she got to this point are worthy of being shared. Let’s find out together how we can be a little bit kinder to ourselves and grow a more authentic bond with our bodies.

Emma Thompson has been acting since the ’80s.

Emma Thompson, one of the best actresses of her generation, managed to get an Academy Award for her second-ever major role in a movie. With almost 100 roles and holding the world record for being the first person to have Oscars for both acting and writing, she needs no introduction.

In her latest work, Goodluck to You, Leo Grande, the actress was faced with a new challenge — appearing on the big screen at her most vulnerable, without any clothes, which was the most difficult thing she’s ever had to do in her entire 40-year career. This experience changed the way the actress sees and relates to her body.

The actress has struggled with body image throughout her entire career.

The 2-time Golden Globe winner said that she lost confidence in her body back in her early teenage years. Everywhere she looked, images that suggested she could never have a nice enough body were always present. “I felt like my shape and everything was wrong. It’s a great, great shame. It’s a waste of time, energy, money, passion, and purpose. I wish I had found a way to escape from that earlier,” admitted the actress.

If she could say anything to her 14-year-old self, she’d tell her, “Don’t waste your time. Don’t waste your life’s purpose worrying about your body. This is your vessel, it’s your house, it’s where you live. There’s no point in judging it. Absolutely no point.”

Emma Thompson believes the best thing we can do is not love our bodies but simply accept them for what they really are.

“I certainly can’t stand in front of a mirror without trying to improve the way I look — by tucking something in or turning to the side or turning the lights off,” said Thompson. “We’re not good at accepting our bodies. Trying to just look at my body in front of a mirror, without moving and without judging it. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Thompson believes the human body is not being honestly represented on screen and most of them are styled in a way to hide imperfections, imperfections that make us all human. The 63-year-old actress shared, “The more we accept our bodies — and not love them, you don’t have to love them — but you do have to accept them in order to experience anything inside them.”

What’s one way you show appreciation for your body? Who’s your body positivity inspiration? Let us know in the comments.